London 1660 Green Tea Cups from Postcardteas.com

Recently I needed a new cup for my Sencha. For ages I've been using a Gaiwan bowl which while has a lovely thickness and size but the lip is a little too flared for drinking tea from. I've been on the look out for a while now and given that I always find Postcardtea's "edit" very precise when it comes to sourcing both wares and tea I thought I'd try out their "1660 green tea cups" (sold in pairs for £38)

Here's the intro to the cups from their website

1660 LONDON began as a dialogue between Tim d’Offay, a tea smith, and Peter Ting, a ceramics designer, in which the idea of how the shape of a tea cup actually affected the flavour of the tea being drunk was raised. Fascinated by this idea, the two men, each experts in their own field, set about exploring the concept.

The result is an elegant and innovative range of porcelain tea tasting cups, designed to enhance the experience of drinking teas by bringing out their bouquet, appearance and flavour.

These special shapes are already in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and was awarded the Best New Product 2012 by the World Tea Expo, USA.

They offer 3 models, the black tea cup, green tea cup and fragrance cup. I went with the green tea cups, not because it was listed as being for green tea but because it had the profile I most liked in a cup.

Here's the info for the green tea model

A refined porcelain tea cup that enhances the rich umami textures of the tea, giving a smooth, luxurious mouth feel before delivering a long multi-layered aftertaste.

Firstly the service is always great with postcardteas, and they were with me the next day after ordering. The cups come in a sturdy white box with a blue sleeve which would actually make them perfect for gifting....so I did.....to myself

The cups are made from a medium to thin porcelain which tapers in thickness to the rim, I measured the cups at pretty much bang on 200ml which is great for me as I normally drink between 120ml-150ml of sencha per serving.

The quality of the porcelain is very high, lovely crystal ping with not a single imperfection in the glaze. The feel in the hand is spot on, and the rim of the cup ergonomically feels perfect on the lips. They feel like they are just made for sencha, and look lovely sat next to a kyusu. They are a little on the pricey side but I'm definitely happy to pay the £38 (2 cups) for such wonderful cups.

I saw these cups being discussed on a design and architecture blog. I obviously can't judge the product itself since I have not used it, but I feel like they are appropriating this concept of the cup shape affecting flavor as if it is a new idea and not something that has been thoroughly "explored" by oriental ceramics for about, I don't know, a millennium or two? That it took some British dude in 2014 to finally make that connection? I understand that it's a gimmick, like most things in design. But if the design is good then it is certainly worth 50 bucks.

The tea does taste better in a cup like this, without a doubt -- I have a round (as opposed to tall) porcelain cup that I go to whenever I first open a packet of tea, just to experience the best flavour. In my opinion, though, I'd get something that looks nicer, for less money!

They are just superb quality, well proportioned plain white porcelain cups. That's all I'm recommending them for. For people after those sort of cups. As always take the marketing with a pinch.

Pig Hog yes I agree I like using a rustic style yunomi when drinking in the garden and kicking back. But I like plain porcelain cups for focusing on the tea, although I'll use different cups based on mood..... my go to is always a cup of this style though, and pure white. Just preference

This has always been my favorite shape for drinking my favorite teas ... especially in white, porcelain. And I always give such cups a closer look. 100 ml would be better for me personally ... generally speaking.

... but I rarely reach for these anymore in this combination of features. Still they hold a sentimental value for me.

I love a nice well-proportioned cup in plain or fancy, handmade or factory made, if it feels good in my hands and adds to my tea-drinking pleasure. And there are times when simple white would be just right.